With a wave of new social restrictions being implemented amid a second wave of COVID-19 infections, the next few months look set to be every bit as uncertain as the last six months. As a family, sitting indoors all day, every day soon takes its toll and there is a need to get out of the house – in a safe way, of course.
Many settings, particularly child-friendly play settings, are either completely closed or are heavily stripped back. With current restrictions that limit the number of people that can be together at any one time, as well as businesses operating at a reduced capacity to allow for social distancing, you might feel that leaves you with very little choice as to what you can and cannot do together as a family.
Here, we have compiled some COVID-secure activities you can do as a family.
Outdoor Walking Tours
While restrictions are tightened on indoor gatherings, it seems that most outdoor activities will remain untouched – at least for now. Many tours are currently postponed or are operating under reduced capacity, but walking tours are remaining operational as long as those on the tour can easily distance from each other.
One example is the Jack the Ripper walking tour that continues to operate in Whitechapel, London. Although we wouldn’t recommend this tour for young children, teenagers will certainly take a lot from it and, if you have a particular fondness for stories about esteemed historical figures such as Prince Albert Victor, who is regarded as a suspect, this will make for a fun guide tour around the capital.
Attend Amateur/Semi-Professional Sports Events
Spectators, at least at the time of writing, are not yet permitted into elite sporting events in England with test events put on pause and not expected to start again for a good while yet. However, semi-professional and grassroots – not considered as the elite level of their sport by their governing body (such as the Football Association, for example) – are permitted to allow socially distanced crowds at 30% capacity.
This means that, while you cannot book a ticket to an international or top-level game, you can all go and support a local club that, during these uncertain times, would be highly appreciative of your support. Non-league football does not have anywhere near the same amount of money as is bounded about at the top and it is important to remember how important those clubs are to the community. On top of that, heading out to a game is one of the small slices of normality we can still enjoy.
Binge Watch
Movie nights should be a staple for any family, COVID or not. You can do it either in a traditional way by watching movies on cable TV or exploring OTT platforms like Netflix that grant you access to a plethora of options. To make it fair, you should take turns choosing a movie to watch (but make sure it is age appropriate for everyone watching for obvious reasons). If you are using cable TV, you can take a look at the TV guide online for channels like Sky Atlantic, Channel 5, HBO, and more to learn what’s currently streaming. Moreover, it doesn’t just have to be a movie, of course, as you can also settle on a series to binge-watch together (although you will all have to agree that no one can watch a sneaky episode or two on their own).
While we still cannot do all of the things that we love, there is still plenty that we can do as a family within the same household. Remember to be kind and understanding to each other and, the more that we follow the rules, the closer we will be to coming through the pandemic and getting back to what we love best.